Monster LitCircle Wiki
Welcome to the Monster_LitCircle Wiki Literature Circles for CURRINS 650 group on "Monster" Group Members Brittany Mckay Brianna Marquez Magen Babcock Hannah Molitor Jayce Jerabek Plot/Conflict * Major Plot Points * The novel starts with Steve in Jail and facing trial. * Steve is accused with being the lookout for a Robbery which turned into a murder committed by Richard Evans and James King. * We find that Steve was present for discussions between Evans and King as they planned the robbery. * Steve struggles through the trial and has a difficult time dealing with the prosecution painting him as a thug. * Steve starts to face the reality of the situation that he will probably be found guilty. * The defense begins to give their arguments, Mr. Sawicki is called as a witness and Steve takes the stand himself. * The trial ends with a not guilty verdict. * Steve's lawyer seems to still have doubts about Steve's innocence even after the trial ends. * Steve is free from jail, however does not find much peace with being free. * Steve's father moves away because he feels that he does not know who Steve is anymore. * Conflict * Man vs. Self - Steve really struggles with being painted as a monster by the prosecution and this destroys the way he sees himself, resulting in him struggling to figure out who he really is even after the Not Guilty verdict. * Man vs. Man - Steve is in obvious conflict with the prosecution who is trying to send him to jail. This is the major conflict throughout the novel as you see the two sides battle in the courtroom. * Man vs. Society - This book really dives in to racism and discrimination and how these are affecting Steve throughout the trial. Like mentioned before, Steve is painted as this thug and it is interesting to imagine how this scene would've played out differently is Steve happened to be white. Setting * Jail Cell: This is where the novel starts its narration. It is chaotic, dirty and everything that someone would imagine a jail cell to be. The cell represents the violent and chaotic life that Steve Harmon absolutely hates and wishes he could escape. * Courtroom: This is where the majority of the novel takes place. Steve's trial takes place over the course of several days, making this the place where is fate is decided. The courtroom represents the structured, organized life that Steve wishes to have, which also comes through the organized way he writes down his story, through a film script. * 'Neighborhood/New York: '''This part of the setting and novel encompasses many parts. This would include Steve's high school, where he flashes back at the beginning of the novel to his film class, having a class discussion. This section also includes the drugstore, where the crime scene described in the courtroom took place, and where Steve has trouble returning to in his mind. His neighborhood in New York represents the life that Steve wants to go back to, and is where he feels most at home. Characters * Steve Harmon- He is a 16 year old boy that is on trial for felony murder. Steve grew up in New York, where he attends Stuyvesant High School and is a member of the film club. Throughout the trial Steve refers to himself as a "Monster" but is adamant that he did nothing wrong. It is stated during the trial that Steve was to give a signal when he came out of the store to tell the rest of the crew if it was safe to rob the store, but Steve did nothing. He even claims that he does not remember going into the store the day of the murder and if he did, it was for a pack of gum or to scout out a place for his movie. In the flashbacks, the reader gets glimpses into Steve's life where he represents innocence and slowly loses it as he associates himself with criminals like James King and Osvaldo Cruz, which leads to him being charged with murder. * Kathy O'Brien- She is Steve's attorney. Throughout the story she explains to Steve the importance of each witness and discusses her plans to help him through the trial. It seems as if she is not sure as to whether Steve is truly innocent of the crime he is being tried for, but she represents him to the best of her ability throughout the trial. * James King- He is on trial, alongside Steve, for murder. He was witnessed in the store as one of the robbers. Prior to the robbery, James is seen in flashbacks talking to Steve about planning a robbery in order to get some money. * Asa Briggs- Asa is the defense attorney for James King. * Sandra Petrocelli- Sandra is known to be a dedicated attorney and is representing the state in the trial against Steve Harmon and James King. * Alguinaldo Nesbitt- He owned a store in the neighborhood where Steve lives. During a robbery, Mr. Nesbitt is shot with his own gun and killed. * Richard "Bobo" Evans- Bobo is one of the men involved in the robbery/murder. He has admitted to committing the crime and willing to testify for the prosecution in the hopes of getting a lesser sentence. * Osvaldo Cruz- He is a member of the gang The Diablos. Osvaldo hangs out with Steve and James King, and he brags about being a tough guy due to his affiliation with the gang and his tattoos. * Steve Harmon's Family ** Mom- Steve's mom visits him in jail and attends his trial. Throughout the story, she is supportive and visibly upset to see her son in jail and on trial. ** Dad- Steve's dad attends the trial for his son. Steve is concerned that his dad will never see him as the innocent child that he was by the end of the book. ** Jerry- He is Steve's younger brother. Jerry is not able to visit Steve in jail because he is a minor, which is not allowed at the jail. In flashbacks, it seems that Steve and Jerry have a good relationship with each other. They discuss things like superheros before Steve is arrested. * The Witnesses ** Jose Delgado- Jose worked for Mr. Nesbitt and was the first witness to testify for the prosecution. ** Salvatore Zinzi- Salvatore was another witness for the prosecution. He was a prisoner that knew someone that had bought cigarettes, which were a result of the robbery/murder, and used the information to get a deal from the prosecutor. ** Wendell Bolden- Wendell was a third witness for the prosecution. He was the inmate that bought the cigarettes from the robbery and told the information to Salvatore Zinzi. He too used the information to get a deal from the prosecutor in exchange for his testimony. ** Lorelle Henry- Lorelle is a retired librarian and was in the store at the time of the robbery, but she ran out before the murder occurred. She is a witness for the prosecution since she saw the two men in the store during the robbery. ** Dorothy Moore- Dorothy is a witness for the defense, particularly James King. She is his cousin and presents a potential alibi for him on the day of the murder. ** Dr. Allen James Moody- He conducted the autopsy on Mr. Nesbitt and testifies for the prosecution. ** George Sawiki- He is Steve's film club adviser. Mr. Sawiki has worked with Steve in school on various films that Steve has made for the club and testifies as a character witness and gives a potential reason for why Steve was in the store when the murder occurred. Summary of Discussion For our discussion, we talked a lot about how race plays a huge role in the understanding of ''Monster. ''If Steve weren't black, the very perceptions that we as readers have get altered. As we discussed, in America race politics and social acceptance are widespread issues that manifest in both visible and invisible ways. Visibly, the organization of neighborhoods and gentrification disproportionately influences black Americans by fostering neighborhoods rife with gangs, drugs, and poverty. Invisibly, we have subconscious thoughts and implicit prejudices that influence how a black teenager must live his life. The latter issue especially is tackled in this book, when Defense Attorney Kathy O'Brien has to mold her case to the jury in such a way that makes Steve sympathetic. While the prosecution uses subtle language keyed towards aggression and systemic issues of black people that are not technically disallowed from a courtroom setting. Additionally, we talked about the conscious decision by Myers to make our protagonist black instead of any other ethnicity because even to the reader, certain invisible prejudices exist that sculpt the reader's interpretation of the narrative. Another thing we discussed was the importance of shaping the screenplay into the written narrative. Brittany had a good point when she said that the screenplay element does nothing to soften the rigid coldness of jail. The screenplay as a medium removes from the story any narrator that can show bias or omniscience, because in a film expressions and movements are the bulk of the way the audience relates to the characters. And using this method removes some of Steve's interior monologue and emotional hardships, reinforcing the emotionlessness of prison. The screenplay also uniquely itself forms our emotional connection to Steve, as it is his vessel for telling the story, and we can see his passion and empathy bleed through in his dictation of events. One thing some of us had differing opinions on about the novel was the sort of confusing nature of the actual crime. Jayce thought it was a bit disappointing that Steve didn't actually participate at all. He said that it would have been more emotionally compelling if Steve hadn't just been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and actually agreed to be simply the lookout man. Some others believed this made him more sympathetic, as he was caught up in prejudices against blacks even though he was entirely innocent. In all, we all enjoyed the novel. Many of us agreed it was more suspenseful and thrilling than we initially thought a coutroom-drama-type story would be. We discussed how well the pacing added to the story, shifting from periods of lull in the action in the jail cell back to the intensity of the courtroom. I think it's pretty safe to say that everyone in this discussion group is in some way considering using this book for our own curricula. "Teachers' Comments" * "''Monster by Walter Dean Myers is an excellent novel for high school students, especially in today's society. When I was a freshman in high school, my English teacher had us read this novel. We were all confused and wondering why we had to read it, when he were studying the classics like, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and The Odyssey. ''After reading the novel as a 9th grader, I understood its importance and why it was so crucial that we break out of the standard curriculum and read it. This novel highlights and gives an insight into a world of hardships, racism, discrimination, and incarceration. Its relevancy has increased now that our country's incarceration rates are higher than ever, specifically targeting African American Males, like Steve Harmon. As a person and a teacher, this book should at the very least be available to students who want to read it, and eventually integrated into standard English curricula." - Magen Babcock * "This book addresses two different writing styles, journal and screenplay, which can be new for students. It helps expose them to something they may not be used to seeing, which can be refreshing and a point of discussion in the difference in writing style. As for how the content applies to young adults, the content can be a warning to students of what life is like if they go down the wrong path. The book does not sugar coat the feelings someone may have when going through trials and living in a prison/jail. This book gives students a chance to see events that take place after an arrest from the perspective of the accused, and in this case it is a teenage boy. It shows flashbacks to before the main character was arrested and what his life was like. It also covers the fear, depression, regret, and loneliness that accompanies the consequences of poor choice, or possibly being associated with criminal activity. Overall this book provides many good talking points, from the events of the story to the type of writing displayed throughout the book. I highly recommend it for literature books for young adults.” -Brittany McKay * "I think this book would be excellent to teach at a High School Setting. I believe when given the right context, this book could have a major impact on any High School Student, either one that sees things like this happen every day, or a student who potentially had no idea that things like this even happen. I think given the fact that Steve, the protagonist of the story is only sixteen years old and going this major, life changing event, this could be really easy for High School Students to put themselves in his shoes. This book also uses a writing style that may not be familiar to students and could really introduce them to a new way to approach and read literature. Although it was published in 1999, this book is still relevant today and I believe very important for students to read." -Hannah Molitor * "This book takes a perspective that a child does not expect but that every child needs. It takes a young adult out of the typical reading style and invites them into a realistic, eye opening world. From the very first page you are covered in a harsh reality. As young adults grow and go through life they need to be exposed by not only the good, but the bad. ''Monster gives someone the ability to see the consequences to decisions, something that everyone needs to learn from an early age. Also, we are taken into a different perspective than most assigned readings. Students who don't have someone to look to who is "like them" in relations to race, culture, and home life have something more to find in Monster. It touches on many controversial topics and would be an excellent addition to a curriculum for a diverse group of students. I highly recommend this book to all young adults readers. We cannot fail our young readers by under exposure, especially in a controlled and safe environment such as a book. " -Brianna Marquez Latest activity Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Add one below! Category:Browse